Saturday, April 27, 2013

I made the latest 2 blocks for The Hip Chicks (Joined at the Hip) BOM.

Yesterday was a beautiful day so DH and I took a ride up to Flushing, MI just north of Flint to see a quilt show. It was a small show but they had some really beautiful quilts. Enough said....here are the quilts.

It was hard to get some of the photos, so I apologize for them. The show was in a church and the ceilings were low so some of the bigger quilts were laying on the floor. We really enjoyed the show and hope you did too. Thanks for stopping by. I hope it is as sunny where you are as it is here.Hugs, Cathy

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Things have moving slowly this month. Didn't know if I would make it or not. I spent Monday pin basting Floribunda and Baby Trips. Yesterday I machine quilted Floribunda and last night I sewed down the binding. I am happy to say I have finished one UFO.

This is going to be our picnic quilt. It looks so much better in person. It is not my favorite quilt but it is finished.Here is a peek at the backing....

I saved some of the backing fabric. Now I need to think of a project for it.Today I am hoping to get Baby Trips quilted. Maybe I will be able to show you another finish tomorrow.Tiger game was rained out yesterday. It has been raining steady all morning so I won't be surprised to see another rain out.Hope the sun is shining in your neck of the woods. Thanks for stopping by.Hugs, Cathy

Sunday, April 21, 2013

I finally did it. I finally finished my March Sentimental Stitches BOM. I got such wonderful ideas from everyone when I tried this block the first time. I tried to paper piece the block but it didn't work out. So what I did was draw a line bisecting the Y seam blocks and it worked. I printed up the templates on freezer paper, cut out my pieces. Any woo hoo....here it is.

It may not be perfect...but it is done.I also got my April block done.

It sort of reminds me of a sunflower.I told you in my last post how I lost and then found my Mojo...well then I came down with the flu. Not too bad since I had gotten a flu shot. But because of it I haven't got too much done.Here's an update on my April Projects.BOM's1. Joined at the Hip2. Country Threads3. Seasonal Applique4. Almost Amish March & April5. Patchwork Posse Winter Wonderland6. Pat Sloan's April BlockOn Going1. Log Cabin Bow Ties2. Scrappy Trip Around the World3. Ashley's Quilt4. Cup Cake QuiltSorry to say I didn't get a chance to work on any of them yet.UFO Busting1. Plaid Jacobs Ladder2. Floribunda (The quilt top is finished and will be quilted next week.)3. Primitive PrimerNew1. Small Quilt Talk Quilt Swap. The top is finished.2. April's Small Quilt Talk Quilt.3. Baby Trips Around the World. Top is finished and should be quilted next week.4. Sally Post blocks.5. Henrietta Whiskers. I got some more hand quilting done.Well not getting as much done this month as last month. But I did put too much on my To Do List. I need to lighten the load. Nice weather is coming and we will be going camping more often and I won't have as much time for quilting. Until then I'm going to try and get some more projects done. Hope to have more to show you later in the week.Thanks for stopping by.Hugs, Cathy

Saturday, April 13, 2013

I'm feeling inspired again and had some fun.Yesterday I finished the first block in Pat Sloan's SAL...It is suppose to start soon but I couldn't wait.Here is my block.

Here is the book.

I love just about anything Pat Sloan.Here is a picture of the quilt.

This is the second version. The first is in Batiks. As you can see mine is going to be a little different. The checker board in my quilt is going to be different blues and neutrals.Next I saw Lori at Humble Quilts hosted another Quilt-a-Long. Another antique mini quilt she calls "Harmony". I couldn't resist. Just finished the top this morning.

I made a few tiny changes and trimmed it down to 14" so when finished it will fit on my standing quilt stand. Thank you Lori for yet another wonderful Quilt-a-Long.

The last thing I have to show you I've already shown you...LOL But I need to post it again so I can link up with the "Simply Charming" Quilt-a-Long. My March/April quilt. I chose "Teresa's Treasures". I already have the next quilt I want to make picked out. I am doing the quilts as they are shown in the book.

Well that is it for now. I stayed up late trying to watch the Tigers play the Oakland A's and fell asleep in the 11 inning. They lost in the 12th. Boo Hoo.So now I am going to sandwich my Harmony quilt and get some hand quilting done. And BTW...it snowed again today.Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.Hugs, Cathy

Thursday, April 11, 2013

I felt like I lost my focus. So I took it easy for a day and no sewing. I read and read and watched movies. It wasn't much time away from sewing but it helped.I guess I spent so much time with the block with Y seams that I felt frustrated and unproductive. So I put the block up. I haven't given up, but I need to work on other things. I will definitely get back to it and you will see the most stunning block. Until then.....I finished my Floribunda Quilt Top.

I kept the red block because I feel the focus of the quilt is on the yellows and golds. I rearranged the blocks and started the design in the upper left corner. It is different...still not sure how I feel about this quilt...but the top is finished and it will be a picnic quilt when all is said and done.DH and I went to JoAnn's today. I was looking for some backing fabric for this quilt. I fell in love this fabric.

For some reason I have been choosing large florals for backings. This was a little more than I usually pay. Regular price $9.99 a yard. I had a coupon but couldn't use it as this was on sale. I ended up paying $6.99. Now I need to wash it and get this quilt finished.I also finished the quilt top for my Baby Trip Around the World.

I made it using Bonnie Hunter's directions. However I cut my strips at 2" wide which made a 10" block. Instead of making it scrappy I used the same 6 fabrics for each block. I love how it turned out. While at JoAnn's I looked for a backing fabric but couldn't find anything I like. Will look again another day.A few things I've been working on but do not have anything to show are:1. Pat Sloan Quilt from her new book "New Ideas for Applique" has a quilt that is excellent for a BOM. She is starting it this month with Aprils block. I should have it done in a day or two.2. I've been making quilt labels and sewing them onto the back of recently finished quilts. I had so many small finishes the last couple of months that they are starting to stack up.3. I chose the quilt I want to make for the Small Quilt Talk quilt swap. I've been in touch with the quilter I am swapping with and I have chosen an appliqued quilt with scrappy blocks. All I have done is traced the applique pieces to freezer paper. I have until the end of May to finish it.As I sit and write this post I am watching the Tigers play the Blue Jays. It is cold, it is raining and the Tigers are winning. Let's hope it lasts. My son posted on facebook a picture of a weather map. He lives in the Upper Peninsula. The map shows they are expecting snow....like 1" - 2" an hour. Last week he still had 3 feet of snow. So I guess I won't complain too much about our 30 - 40 degree weather and rain.Hope you have sunshine where you are. Thanks for stopping by and spending some time.Hugs, CathyP.S. I want to thank everyone for their suggestions for the Y seam block. I will use each and everyone of them when I decide to try it again.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Yesterday I spent time in the sewing room working on my March pieced block for the Sentimental Stitches Almost Amish BOM. It wasn't pretty. Have you ever seen a grown woman cry over a quilt block....well I did. I'm always showing you something I am proud of. Well here is something I am not so proud of.

It is hard to see from the picture but the Y seams are buckled and the block is definitely not square. I really don't think Y seams are my thing. So back to the drawing board on this block....maybe I will do a totally different block.The second project I worked on was my Floribunda quilt.

I made some more blocks...and guess what...I still don't like it. But I think it will make a great picnic quilt. And I think I will use this quilt to practice some free motion quilting. I might rethink that red block. I'm going to have to look and see if I have anymore florals.One good thing about yesterday...the Detroit Tigers won. Yes...they beat the Yankees. So far in the series they have won both games. We will see what today brings.Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful day.Hugs, Cathy

Friday, April 5, 2013

This is my April Challenge Quilt for Small Quilt Talk. This months challenge was a quilt block instead of a specific quilt. The block is called "Contrary Wife". The block finishes 4". My quilt is 13.5" x 13.5" and was the perfect size for my standing quilt stand. The fabrics I used were from the reproduction scrap bags I got from Homestead Hearth.I now have 3 projects crossed off my April To Do List.The sun is shining and it's warming up. Maybe we will get a walk in...however, today is opening day at Tiger Stadium and I really want to watch the game.Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful day.Hugs, Cathy

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

I did a little sewing and have 2 projects to check off my To Do List.1. Country Threads BOM.

I love doing BOM's. I must since I am doing about 5 of them....LOL!2. Joined at the Hip BOM.

I love basket blocks. This is block #5.I also made 4 more Baby Trips blocks. I would have gotten more done but yesterday we went grocery shopping. Now that we are retired we usually only go once a month. It takes a couple hours to do it and then....about 3 hours to repackage meat and put all the grocery's away.Today I am working on my Small Quilt Talk quilt for April. Maybe I will have something to show you tomorrow. In the evenings I keep myself busy either hand quilting or doing hand applique on my Pat Sloan BOM.The sun is shining but it's cold out so another good day to spend time in the sewing room. Also a good day to make a pot of Split Pea Soup.Thanks for stopping by.Hugs, Cathy

Monday, April 1, 2013

And time to make my to do or want to do list for April. But first I want to show you my last 2 finishes for March.

This is a little quilt I made for my daughter, Kim, for having us over for Easter. I had bought her a standing quilt frame for Christmas. This was from a new pattern I bought by Cheri Payne called "A Basket Full". The actual basket was smaller and I enlarged it on my copier. I hand appliqued and hand quilted it. Now I've got to make one for myself.

This is a little quilt I made after seeing an antique doll quilt on Pinterest. Then I also found the quilt in a multitude of quilt books. It is made up of 2.5" squares, 1.5" squares and 1.5" x 2.5" rectangles. It worked up quickly and I hand quilted it.Now for my April List:BOM'S1. Joined at the Hip, March and April's blocks.2. Country Threads3. Seasonal Applique4. Almost Amish, March and April6. Patchwork Posse Winter Wonderland7. Pat Sloan Quilt a Long (I know I can't believe it either. Another BOM)On Going1. Log Cabin Bow Ties

2. Scrappy Trip Around the world. I need to make 12 more blocks. So I hope to get this finished and quilted this month.3. Ashley's Plaid quilt. I have 7 blocks made and 23 more to make.4. I need to make another cup cake quilt.UFO Busting

1. Plaid Jacobs Ladder. This was a sew a long from 2011 with Freda. I would love to get at least the top put together. So I need to make a few more blocks.

2. Floribunda. This was a Bonnie Hunter SAL from 2011. I never really liked what I did but one of my daughters did so I think I will finish it for her for Christmas.

3. I think I should make this #1. It is my Primitive Primer. I still only need one block to make. So I will try and make this a priority.Now if that isn't enough.....1. I signed up for a Small Quilt Swap at Small Quilt Talk. I have 2 months to finish it.2. My monthly Small Quilt Talk Challenge. This month we need to make a quilt using the Contrary Wife block.3. I'm making a baby quilt for my Nephew and his Wife. The are expecting Son #3.

This is what I started on Saturday. It is a Trip Around the World using just 6 fabrics. The prints are from Riley Blake. I am using 2" strips so it is a smaller block that the Scrappy one I am making.4. I got a couple of Sally Post Blocks prepped and started working on one of them.5. And I started hand quilting my Henrietta Whiskers quilt. I am quilting it using #12 perle cotton and doing a big stitch. How's that for a list? 18 projects on my list. It looks daunting, however the first 6 are just one block. The next 4 are work on when time permits. I think I can make a good dent in my list. Only time will tell.Well I better get going so I can get some of this done. Hope you are having a great start to spring. Since it is April Fools Day...Mother Nature pulled a good one. It SNOWED this morning. No accumulation...Thank goodness. But none the less it snowed.Hugs, Cathy